Clamp for applying and removing jar covers



Jan. 4, 1949. 5 N, A HER 2,458,329

CLAMP FOR APPLYING AND REMOVING JAR COVERS Filed March 24, 1945 Patented Jan. 4, 1949 CLAMP FOR APPLYING AND REMOVING JAR COVERS Edward N. Archer, Inglewood, Calif.

Application March 24, 1945, Serial No. 584,676

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a clamp adapted for gripping the lid of the jar in order that the jar may be manually operated relative thereto for the purpose of either applying or removing the lid or cover.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means for supporting the jar in addition to gripping the cover thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of cooperating gripping bands wherein at least one of such bands is provided with means to aid in supporting and gripping the jar while the other band is plain and more or less pliant and adapted for gripping purposes only.

Another object is to provide improved and simplified means for pivoting a flexible gripping band to a more or less rigid gripping band and for cooperatively connecting one band with the other to perform the desired operation.

Among other objects of the invention are to provide a clamp-holder of the above character which is more simple, easier to construct, and cheaper to manufacture.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates what is now considered to be a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device operatively applied to a jar lid, a fragment of a jar being included in the view and also a fragment of a wall being shown to which the device is fastened.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1, one of the gripping members of the holder being shown in dotted lines in the inoperative position as well as the means for securing both bands in their operative positions.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the stationary cover-gripping arm 6 includes a preferably straight shank portion I, which at its outer end is welded or otherwise secured to a bracket 8 shown attached to a support 9 by means of screws H]. Said bracket is shown as a fiat plate mounted in a vertical plane and having a vertical notch or slot Ii cut down into it from its upper edge into which is fitted the welded-on end portion of the jaw shank I. The stationary arm 6 also includes an intermediate arcuate, preferably semi-circular, cover gripping jaw portion I2, which is internally provided with the transverse gripping teeth I3, and which, at the end thereof opposite to its shank I, is furnished with a straight radially projecting ear forming extremity I4.

The law extremity or radial ear I4 has cut into it from its outer end a horizontal slot I5 and carries just below said slot an apertured lip I6 through which extends a pin I1, whereby a clamping bolt I8 is attached in such a manner as to swing through said slot, said lip being located at the outer side of the extension I4, that is to say, at the convex side of the stationary jaw. The slotted ea-r connection enables clamp ing of the jays about covers of varying diameter. Along the lower edge of the arcuate jaw portion I2 are cut a series of notches, thereby producing intervening small flanges or lugs I9, which are directed horizontally inward, as well shown in Fig. 2. In the manufacture of the device the inturning of this flange structure is facilitated by providing said notches.

With the stationary jaw which has been described cooperates an arcuate movable jaw 20 which likewise carries at its free end a radial ear 2| having an end slot 22 wide enough to receive the clamping bolt I8, the winged clamping nut 23 being abuttable against the outer side of the extension 2|. Said movable jaw 20 is not provided with gripping teeth nor with a serrated flange, and hence can be and preferably is, made sufliciently flexible to conform to covers differing in diameter.

The attached end of the swingable jaw 20 has cut into it a slot 25, thus producin a bifurcation each branch of which is outwardly curled as indicated at 26 to produce hinge ears, the stationary clamp portion 6 having a similarly curled tongue 21 outstruck from its midwidth portion to produce a hinge ear intermediate the ears 26, so that an inserted pin 28 completes the hinge structure.

The rows of lugs I9 carried by the stationary jaw forms an arcuate shelf which, when the device is clamped around a jar cover 30 functions as a shoulder means which underlies one side portion of the lower edge of the circumferential skirt of the jar cover. Said shelf or row of lugs is formed by inwardly deflecting the lower edge portion of the strap metal of which the stationary jaw is formed.

In using the device to remove a jars cover, after the bracket 8 has been attached to the wall, thus supporting the stationary clamp arm 6 in a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 1, then the operator will use one hand to grip the jar and will thus bring one side of the attached cover of an upstanding jar into a nested relation to the teeth of the stationary jaw, while the clamping bolt I8 and movable jaw 20 are in the dotted line positions of Fig. 2. Then with his other hand the operator will swing the movable jaw against the adjacent side of the cover, thus bringing the slotted jaw extensions l4 and 2| sufficiently near to each other to permit a finger or the thumb of the latter hand to swing the nut-carrying bolt l8 to the full line position of Fig. 2. The shelf portion l9 will now support the jar so that the It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the subject matter claimed.

What is claimed is:

A gripping and supporting clamp for a jar cover of the type having a circumferentialskirt, said clamp comprising an arm having a substantially semi-circular flexible jaw portion, a shank extending radially outward of one end of the jaw adapted for connection with a support for holding said armin fixed position, an ear projecting radially from the opposite end of the jaw, a complementary substantially semi-circular jaw having one end hingedly connected to said shank and an ear projecting radially from itsopposite end, said fixed and hinged jaws cooperatively embracing the circumferential skirt of the jar cover, said fixed jaw having teeth extending transversely I 4 thereof on its inner cover and having a plurality of lugs directed inwardly of its bottom edge so as to engage the bottom edge of the cover skirt, and means engaging said radial ears for releasably clamping the REFERENCES orrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS '15 Number I Name Y Date 122,088 Wells Dec. 19, 1871 232,461 Coolbaugh Sept. 21, 1880 562,532 Hartzell June 23, 1896 1,154,904 Bain Sept. 28, 1915 0 1,196,232 Gurnett Aug. 29, 1916 1,324,586 Clasen Dec. 9,, 1919 1,569,275 Green Jan. 12, 1926 1,578,134 Kaiser Mar. 23,, 1926 1-620-272 May Mar.- 8, 1927 25 1,661,333 Gurnett Mar. 6, .1928 1,841,270 JAeschbach et al. 1 Jan. 12,1932 1,858,144 Fariello May 10, 1932 1,992,322 Nulf et a1; Feb. 26, 1935 2,005,410 Balz June 18, 1935 30 2,132,697 Neif'ert Oct. 11, 1938 2,133,883 Aubert Oct. 13,1938 2,185,463 Howard et a1; Jan. 21, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 Number Country Date I 461,799 Germany June. 28, 19.28

side for gripping the jar' 

